Rotary engine.



J. GRIN DROD. ROTARYRBNGI NE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1907..

Patentd June 6,1911.

3 BHBIFTS-BHEET 1.

THE NORRIS'PETERG cm, W SHINGTON, n. c.

I. GRINDROD;

Patentd June 6, 1911.

3 $KEETS-SHEET 2.

Th: NORRIS PETERS cm. W mcroy, -u c.

3% flaw um Wm Mad n 1 m m I Wilfvnaflssesa JOHN GRINDROD, OFBAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. June 6, 1911.

Application filed August 30, 1907. Serial No. 390,808.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GRINDROD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bakersfield, in the county of Kern and State of California,have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following isa specification. I

This invention relates to a rotary engine for use with steam, or otherfluid pressure, and its main object is to provide for successiveexpansions of the steam or fluid pres sure medium in the same cylinder.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in connection with thisinvention, for further expansion of the steam in another cylinder.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a vertical section of the mainor high pressure engine cylinder on the line w 0a in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is avertical section of the supplementary or low pressure cylinder on theline m m Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the engine. Fig. 4is a section on the line 00 in Fig. 3, looking toward the high pressurecylinder. Fig. 5 is a section on the line m in Fig. 3, looking towardthe low pressure cylinder. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line w -win Fig. 3. Fig. 7.

is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the position of the valves when thesteam is being expanded. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig.

1, showing the position of the valves for reversal.

The invention comprises, as a whole, a main or high pressure cylinder 1,a'supplementary or low pressure cylinder 2, and shafts 3 extendingthrough both of said cylinders, the cylinders having stufiing-boxes 4therefor, said shafts having bearings, not shown.

Certain features of the invention are embodied wholly in the maincylinder 1, and the supplementary cylinder may or may not be used,according to the degree of expan sion required. In the main cylinder 1is provided a cylinder chamber 5, within which works the piston member 6mounted on shaft 3 and provided with pistons 7 which fit and slidewithin the cylinder, the body of the piston member 6 being cylindricaland of smaller diameter than the cylinder 5. An abutment member 8 isfast on. the shaft 9, which is mounted to turn in the side walls of thecasing of cylinder 1 and is connected by gears 42, 43 to shaft 3. Saidabutment being of cylindrical shape, fits and turns within a cylindricalchamber 10in the cylinder casing l and has a recess 12 formed therein toreceive and allow passage of the piston 7 of the piston member 6, thebottom 13 of said recess being formed concentric with the shaft 9 and ofsuch diameter that the cylindrical peripheral portions of pistons 7 willroll closely on said bottom 13 to form a steam-tight joint, thecylindrical periphery .of abutment member 8 also rolling on thecylindrical portion 14 of the piston member 6 to give a steam-tightjoint. At the top and bottom of the casing 1 are provided chambers 15,16 for inlet valves 17 and controlling valve 18, the upper chamber communicating with the steam supply passage or inlet 19 for the engine, andthe lower chamber communicating with a steam exhaust or outlet 20 forthe engine. Between these two valve chambers extend channels or passages21, 22 at the respective sides of the cylinder, said channelscommunicating by openings 23, 24, with the cylinder chamber. The lowervalve chamber 16 also communicates through a port 25 with the cylinderchamber 5, the valve member 18 having two recesses 26, 27 forestablishing communication between the several passages. The valvemember 17 in the upper valve chamber has a single recess 28. Valvemembers 17, 18 are carried by rock shafts 30, having arms 31 connectedby links 32 to a rocking lever 33 mounted to turn on a sleeve 34. Saidsleeve is hollow and is itselfmounted to turn on a stud 35, said sleevehaving a handle member 36 with a latch 37 to engage in either one of twonotches 38 in the side of lever 33. Said sleeve also carries a lever 39to be engaged and operated by a cam slot 40 in a.

the times when the pistons are passing the abutments.

The low pressure engine comprises the casing 2 having a cylinder chamber45 therein and an abutment chamber 46 to receive respectively the pistonmember 47 on shaft 3 and an abutment 48 on shaft 62 connected to shaft 3by gears 63, 64. The piston member carries a piston 49 whose cylindricalperiphery fits the wall of the cylinder and joins steam tight againstthe cylindrical bottom 50 of the recess 51 in the abutment 48. At itsupper part the casing 2 is provided with an inlet 53 which is connectedby pipe 53 with the outlet 20 of the high pressure cylinder, said inletleading to a valve chamber 54 containing a valve 55 having two recesses56, 57, this valve chamber communicating by two passages 58, 59 withports 60, 61 at the opposite sides of abutment chamber 48 where it opensinto the cylinder chamber 45, said valve chamber also communicating withexhaust port 73. The piston 49 is of sufficient circumferential lengthto close the communication between the two chambers 45, 46, into whichthe ports 60, 61 communicate, so that when the piston is passing theabutment, communication between these ports and the piston chamber iscut off, thereby avoiding direct passage of steam from the inlet portthrough the piston chamber to the outlet port at this time.

Valve 55 is carried by a shaft 65, having an arm 66 connected by links67 to a lever 68, said lever having an operating handle 69 and providedwith a latch 7 0 working in a fixed rack 71 to lock the lever in oneposition or the other for direct or reverse motion of the engine.

The operation is as follows :Referring to the high pressure cylinder andassuming the parts to be in position shown in Fig. 1, the piston 7 isjust at the beginning of the full pressure motion, the valves havingjust moved to position shown. Valve 17 cuts off connection to passage 22but opens connection from steam pressure inlet 19 to passage 21, and asthis passage is always open to the cylinder and abutment chamber,through port 23, pressure is thus admitted to the rear face of theabutment, or to the rear face of the piston 7, to drive the pistonforwardly in the direction of the arrow. At this time, and in fact atall times, when the engine is running in this direction, valve 17 shutsoff connection to passage 22. This passage is open to the cylinder andabutment space at all times, through port 24, and at this time it isalso open to outlet 20 through valve 18, so that steam in the pistonchamber in front of piston 7 exhausts through the outlet. As the piston7 about completes a semirotation, it passes expansion port 25, and atthe same time piston 7 passes the abutment. At this moment the valves 17and 18 are shifted by the automatic operating means therefor, to theposition shown in Fig. 7, valve 17 then cutting off connection topassage 21 as well as to passage 22 and valve 18 opening connection fromport 25 to passage 21. Piston 7 having passed port 25, the

steam which has passed in back of piston 7 and has been impoundedbetween said piston 7 and the following piston 7 flows through port 25,valve recess 26, passage 21, port 23 to the piston and abutment space,exerting pressure on the rear face of said following piston 7. The steamthus produces a second effect on the back of piston 7, and expands untilit is reduced to about one half the initial pressure. As the revolutionis completed, piston 7 passes port 24, opening this space to exhaust,the valve 18 maintaining the connection of passage 22 to outlet 20 atall times when the engine is running in this direction. At this time thevalves 17 and 18 are shifted back to position shown in Fig. 1 byoperation of the cam slot 40, and the operation is then repeated. Duringthe next semirotation, the space between the pistons 7, 7 (in front ofpiston 7) remains filled with steam at about one half pressure, and assoon as piston 7 passes port 24, this steam also passes out at 24,through passage 22 and outlet 20. To reverse the engine, the lever 36 isoperated to turn the valves relatively to the operating means, so thatalthough the angular automatic motion of the valves remains unchanged inamount, it is shifted in position to the other side of the valvechambers so as to reverse the operative relation of the valves withreference to the two passages 21, 22, as shown in Fig. 8, therebyreversing the engine.

In case the low pressure cylinder is used, its operation will be asfollows. The valve member 55 is stationary, except on reversal of theengine, and continually opens communication from inlet 53 through one orthe other of the channels, for example, channel 58, and through port toone side of the cylinder chamber or to the abutment space above thesame. Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 2, thepressure will be exerted against the wall of the abutment recess,turning the abutment in the direction of the arrow and causing thepiston member to also turn in the direction of the arrow. At this momentthe piston closes the communication from the steam recess in theabut-ment to the cylinder chamber, and also form the cylinder chamber tothe channel 59 which, in this position of the valve 55, is connected tothe exhaust 73. Immediately upon further movement of the piston member47, the piston opens exhaust connection through channel 59. The pressureof the incoming steam is exerted first against the wall of the abutmentrecess, and then on further rotation of the parts, as the periphery ofthe piston leaves the bottom of the recess and the periphery of theabutment comes against the cylindrical body of the piston member, thepressure is delivered against the rear face of the piston and continuesto drive the piston in the same direction until the circular strokebeing completed, the piston member opens to exhaust at this rear faceand the steam remaining behind it is allowed to escape through theexhaust port 73. It will be noted that the low pressure cylinder isexpanding the steam from the high pressure cylinder, and as both thecylinder members are rotating at the same speed it is necessary that inorder that there may be continuous increase of volume, and thereforeexpansion and development of energy by the steam in this operation, thatthe length of the low pressure pistons and cylinders should be greaterthan that of the corresponding parts of the high pressure cylinder, tothe extent required to give the proper further expansion in the lowpressure cylinder. To reverse the engine, it is only necessary to moveboth of the handle members 36, 69 simultaneously, the operation of thehandle member 36 for the high pressure cylinder serving to shift'theposition of the controlling lever 33 of the valve members relatively tothe operating lever 85, so that though the valve members operate throughthe same stroke, they are in a different angular position and operatewith respect to the left hand instead of with respect to the right handchannel. The operation of the reversing lever 69 for the low pressurecylinder is direct, simply shifting the connection for induction andeduction respectively from the right to left and left to right.

What I claim is 1. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder chamber, aplston member rotatlng therein and carrying pistons, abutment meanscooperating with the pistons and piston member to divide the spacewithin the cylinder chamber, valve means for supplying steam to thecylinder chamber between the abutment means and the rear face of thepiston and for shutting off such supply when the piston has traveledthrough a determinate circular stroke, and valve means for openingcommunication from the space between the said piston and the followingpiston to the space between the said following piston and the abutment,whereby the steam maintained between the two pistons is allowed to exertpressure in expansion against the rear face of the following piston.

2. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder chamber, a rotary piston membertherein carrying a plurality of pistonsin rigid relation to the pistonmember, an abutment chamber and a movable abutment therein cooperatingwith the piston member, valve means for supplying steam to the cylinderbetween the abutment and the piston during a portion of each rotationand cutting off such supply during a further portion of the rotation,valve means for conveying steam so supplied between one of the pistonsand the following piston, to act on the rear of the said followingpiston during such further portion of the rotation, and means operatedby the piston member to operate the said valve means.

3. A rotary engine comprising a casing provided with a cylinder chamber,a rotary piston member therein carrying a plurality of pistons in rigidrelation to the piston member, an abutment chamber, a movable abutmenttherein cooperating with the piston member, valve means for supplyingsteam to the cylinder between the abutment and the piston at either sideof the engine during a portion of each rotation and for cutting off suchsupply during a further portion of such rotation, valve means forconveying steam so supplied during the first portion of the rotationbetween a piston and a following piston to act on the rear of saidfollowing piston during such further portion of the rotation, and meansfor operating said valve means to supply steam at one or the other sideof the engine to reverse the same. 7

4. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder casing having a chamber, arotary piston member therein provided with a plurality of pistons, anabutment cooperating with the piston member and pistons and geared torotate in correspondence with the piston member, a steam supplyconnection, steam outlet means, the cylinder having a port at each sideadjacent to the abutment, and an expansion port, and the cylinder casinghaving a passage at each side communicating with the port at that: sideand with the steam supply connection at one end and with the expansionport and the steam outlet at the other end, a valve controllingcommunication from such passage at each side to the steam outletalternatively and also controlling'the expansion port, and meansoperated by the engine for controlling said valve automatically.

' 5. Arotary engine comprising a cylinder casing having a chamber, arotary piston member therein provided with a plurality of pistons, anabutment cooperating with the piston member and the pistons and gearedto rotate in correspondence with the 6. A rotary engine comprising acylinder casing having a chamber, a rotary piston member thereinprovided with a plurality of pistons, an abutment cooperating with thepiston member and the pistons and geared to rotate in correspondencewith the piston member, a steam supply connection, steam outlet means,the cylinder having a port at each side adjacent the abutment and anexpansion port, and the cylinder casing having a passage at each sidecommunicating with said port at that side, a valve controllingcommunication between said passage at each side and the steam supplyconnection, a valve controlling communication from the passage at eachside to the steam outlet, said valve also controlling communicationthrough the expansion port to said passages, means operated by theengine for controlling said valves automatically, and means for shiftingthe valves relatively to the automatic operating means to reverse theiroperative relation to the passages at the sides of the cylinder.

7 A rotary engine comprising a cylinder casing having a chamber, arotary piston member therein provided with a plurality of pistons, anabutment cooperating with the piston member and pistons and geared torotate in correspondence with the piston member, a steam supplyconnection, steam outlet means, the cylinder having a port at each sideadjacent to the abutment and an expansion port, and the cylinder casinghaving a passage at each side communicating with said port and with thesteam supply connection at one end and with the steam outlet at theother end, a valve controlling the communication of such passage at eachside to the steam supply alternatively, and a valve controlling thecommunication from such passage at each side to the steam outletalternatively and also controlling the expansion port, and meansoperated by the engine for controlling said valves automatt cally,comprising a cam operated by the engine, a lever operated by said cam,and a rocking lever provided with latch means engaging the cam-operatedlever in two different positions, said rocking lever being connected tooperate the valves.

8. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder casing having a chamber, arotary piston member therein provided with a plurality of pistons, anabutment cooperating with the piston member and pistons and geared torotate in correspondence with the piston member, a steam supplyconnect-ion, steam outlet means, the cylinder casing having a passageopening into the piston-containing chamber and the said chamber havingan expansion port, a valve controlling communication between saidpassage and the steam supply connection, a valve controllingcommunication between the expansion port and said passage, and meansoperated by the engine for controlling said valves automatically,

9. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder casing having a chamber, arotary piston member therein provided with a plurality of pistons, anabutment cooperating with the piston member and pistons and geared torotate in correspondence with the piston member, a steam supplyconnection, steam outlet means, the cylinder having a port at each sideadjacent to the abutment and an expansion port and the cylinder casinghaving a passage at each side of the cylinder piston communicating withsaid port and with the steam supply connection at one end and with thesteam outlet at the other end, a valve controlling the communication ofsuch passage at each side of the steam supply alternatively, a valvecontrolling the communication from such passage at each side to thesteam outlet alternatively and also controlling the expansion port,means operated by the engine for controlling said valves automatically,and a low pressure cylinder connected to receive the exhaust from thefirst cylinder and provided with piston and abutment means, operating incorrespondence with those of the first cylinder to further expand thesteam, and a manually operated reverse valve for the low pressurecylinder.

10. In a reversible rotary engine, a cylinder casing formed of twocommunicating cylindrical chambers and with passages communicating intosaid chambers at opposite sides, a recessed abutment member rotating inone chamber and a piston member rotating in the other of said chambers,the recess in the abutment member being of a less length than theunrecessed portion and the piston of the other member being of a lesslength than the remainder of the periphery of said member, but ofsuflicent circumferential length to close communication between saidchambers as the piston passes the abutment to prevent direct passage offluid between the said passages.

11. In a rotary engine, a casing provided with a chamber, an inlet andan outlet for said chamber and a passage connecting the inlet and theoutlet, a cut off valve for the inlet, a piston member rotatably mountedin the chamber provided with pistons adapted to be acted upon by amotive fluid, and means for causing said fluid to return through saidpassage and act upon the succeeding piston in an expanded conditionwhile the cut ofi' valve is closed.

12. In a reversible rotary engine, a casing provided with twocommunicating chambers and passages communicating with said chambers attheir points of union, a piston member in one chamber provided with apiston, a recessed member in the other chamber adapted to co-act withthe piston member, a valve at each end of said passages, and means foractuating said valves and members so as to close the inlet valve whilethe piston is co-acting with the abutment member.

18. In a reversible rotary engine, a casing provided with twocommunicating chambers and passages at each side of said chamberscommunicating with said chambers at the points of union of saidchambers, said casing being provided with an inlet passage at one end ofsaid first named passages adapted to communicate with both of said firstnamed passages, and outlet passages at the other end of said first namedpassages adapted to communicate with both of said first named passages,a valve controlling communication from said inlet to either of saidfirst named passages,'a valve controlling communication from either ofsaid first named passages to said outlet passage, a piston memberrotatably mounted in one chamber provided with pistons, a recessedmember in the other chamber adapted to co-act with the piston member,and means for actuating said valves and members so as to close the inletvalve while the piston is co-acting with the abutment chamber.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 2nd day of July 1907 JOI-IN GRINDROD.

In presence of- FREDERICK S. LYON, FRANK L. A. GRAHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

